Trivia wiz

St. Albans resident Liz Reardon poses with Alex Trebek following her appearance on "Jeopardy!"

ST. ALBANS BAY — This local woman is a national trainer for the Mental Health First Aid USA organization, a mother of two and Thursday night she appeared on the iconic television game show Jeopardy.

Who is St. Albans resident Liz Reardon? The country was introduced yesterday evening to Franklin County’s trivia ace with her second-place performance on the syndicated game show.

Reardon, 62, watched Jeopardy frequently even when she was in grade school, but doesn’t consider herself a devoted fan. Still, an avid reader of historical nonfiction and a frequent traveler, Reardon is enough of a trivia junky to take the 50-question online application quiz, and performed well enough to be invited to Boston for a series of tests and interviews to see if she would be invited to a taping.

Thursday evening, she gathered with family in Shelburne to watch her performance, which taped in the spring of 2016.

Despite a second place finish, falling to a five-day champion who had earned over $103,000 as of Thursday evening, Reardon left the taping in California enjoying every moment of an experience that can be both fun and nerve wracking.

“It was surreal. It was so much fun,” Reardon said Thursday afternoon before her episode aired. “I’d do it again if I could.”

As Reardon gathered in an enormous ballroom in Boston in the fall of 2015, waiting for the series of tests and interviews she would have to go through to make the taping, she had plenty of time to mingle with others from around New England and the country also trying to make it. Some, she said, have been trying to get on Jeopardy for 30 years without getting to a taping.

But by using a bit of charm combined with a quick trigger finger and a wide range of trivia knowledge, Reardon was invited to Culver City, Calif. to appear on the show, hosted by the iconic Alex Trebek.

For more on Reardon’s experience as a Jeopardy! contestant, pick up a copy of Friday’s Messenger or subscribe to our digital edition.

About The Author

Joel is in his eighth year at the St. Albans Messenger. Joel designs the front page and coordinates local stories for the Messenger daily, as well as covers a wide range of local sports throughout the high school season. A Buffalo, N.Y., native, Joel
attended St. Michael’s College and is passionate about skiing, the Buffalo Sabres and Bills, and traveling.